depletion of groundwater is becoming apparent throughout the world. According to the World Bank, ten cities in China's northern provinces are experiencing as much as one meter annual drops in their water tables. Also, according to an article by Jae-Bok Young of The Christian Science Monitor, exploitation of groundwater in Bangkok is causing the city to sink 2 to 4 inches a year, leading to cracked pavements, broken sewer and water pipes, seawater intrusion and flooding. The United States is not immune from this crisis. In an article by World Watch Institute, as early 1980, water tables in Texas were falling by as much as six inches a year, although that rate has since moderated.The first level of consequences from a global water shortage is already being felt by the poorest nations of the world, such as: Jordan, Kenya, Burundi, Tunisia, Algeria, Rwanda, Malawi, Yemen and Somalia. Countries that share water reserves such as lakes and rivers as well as aquifers that cross international borders could incite Water Wars to protect their interests. I recently read an article in Reuters that stated "Global warming is not only real but it is accelerating, U.S. government researchers say. In the past 25 years alone, average global temperatures have started zooming up at a rate that works out to two degrees Celsius (four degrees Fahrenheit) per century, the team at the National Climate Data Center, part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), said." Technical Advances An example of the emerging technological advancements is the reverse osmosis desalination plant named "Bell-Buoy" that processes fresh water on Maguey Island. The plant consumes no power from external sources. It includes a ten foot high-pressure pump and a reverse osmosis module. This pump is placed in 60 feet of water and a buoy rises and falls with the waves of the water, which operates the pump. This pump serves to filter out the sand and yiel...
